Car Talk Too
by silversurf4
Summary: Another small snippet of conversation - Reese and Crews on the way to another scene. Thought about posting this as a second chapter to Car Talk, but decided it could stand alone. Reviews are always appreciated and I own nothing by my imagination


**Car Talk Too – Reese and Crews in the car (again)**

Some accountant /financier type bit it - in his apartment in Cheviot Hills, so Reese and Crews were slogging through lunch LA traffic to the scene. It was excruciatingly slow going. It would be a weird one - they all were. No matter what anyone tells you – there is no such thing as a "normal murder". They are all different in their own special way with some twist you weren't expecting. Everyone thinks that it's a simple lost common denominator thing that gets someone killed, but it can be the least meaningful or related part of their life that does them in and it's our job to figure it out. Hey, if it were easy to be the murder police anyone could do it.

Crews had been unusually quiet during the ride, tinkering with yet another new cell phone. _This man goes through cell phones and cars like I go through socks_ Reese thought, but she didn't say it - welcoming the silence that pervaded the car that afternoon. Still it was strange that Crews was not talking, that alone made her look at him closely. She began a mental inventory in her head of the things that she associated with Charlie Crews and a trip to a crime scene: same expensive, but conservative suit; same quasi relaxed and cheerful manner; wait, where's his fruit today? Crews always introduced some exotic yet edible fruit and it became a conversation piece whether she wanted to talk about it or not.

Reese occasionally resembled Crews more than she wanted to admit, adopting some of his mannerisms – despite her better efforts not to. This was one of those times. Without much thought, she vocalized the first thing that came into her head "no fruit today Crews?" she questioned.

"I'm kinda fruited out" he remarked blandly. Now she knew something was wrong.

"Fruited out?" Reese said actually turning in her seat to look at him and peering over the rim of her sun glasses.

"Okay, maybe not so much fruited out as wanting something different. Do you ever want something completely different Reese?" he asked presciently.

Reese thought _boy do I ever? What like a different life? One were I hadn't monumentally screwed my career to the point where the department partnered me with a guy they expected me to inform on. It was like an episode of the X-Files._ But she settled for a non-committal "uh-huh".

"Hey, Reese" Charlie brightened "let's get ice cream."

"Now?" She said incredulous at the way his mind worked. "We can't get ice cream Crews. We are on our way to a crime scene."

"Yeah, but I've been thinking Reese. The guy's dead. I mean he's not going anywhere." His tone changed and lowered and he began talking to himself aloud "I suppose the part of him that was going somewhere - already left. All we need is his body and that's really not going anywhere. His essence that which makes him – him left before we even got the call – if you think about it…" Crews continued his internal dialogue aloud. It felt like having a direct mic plugged into Crews' head and some days it was just too much for Reese, leaving her exasperated. But today – today he made remarkable sense to her.

"Okay…." She drew out the agreement "Can't believe I'm doing this, but where do you want to go for ice cream Crews?" He smiled and turned to look at her "really?"

"Don't make a big deal out of it okay? Like you said he's dead, he's not going anywhere" she smiled back in spite of herself. Reese did not do cheerful, but she had to agree ice cream sounded good, really good on this hot LA day. "One condition…we have to finish it before we get there. I draw the line at showing up to the scene with ice cream. The uniforms will never let us hear the end of it."

"There's this place I've heard of called Cold Stone – home made ice cream. I'll 411 them and get the address" Charlie brightened, but she could tell his was still mulling something he wasn't sharing, which was truly bizarre because Crews pretty much shared everything – every single thing that came into his head during their car trips.

It troubled Reese more than she wanted to admit. She'd become accustomed to knowing Crews every thought and it was a bit like having no cell phone coverage, just annoying not having those bars on your phone. They got the address with Google maps and she steered the car there in eerie silence. "Crews" she started _God, I can't believe I'm actually encouraging him to talk_ _when he's just going to say something that annoys me,_ but she asked anyway "something bugging you?"

"I'm fine, Reese." Crews closed the topic. So Dani dropped it, still worried about her usually effusive partner's reticence. They arrived at Cold Stone and Charlie ordered a fruit sherbet concoction, which wasn't technically ice cream Reese thought as she ordered a number called "Cherry Loves Cheesecake". Crews got his in a waffle cone with chocolate coating and colored jimmies covered the sides. Reese went for the safety of a plastic cup.

They sat on the hood of the car, while the LA sun beat down on them and Crews tried to stay ahead of the melting of his cone full of sherbet. He was failing pretty miserably, already having burned through both their napkins he was in serious danger of showing up the crime scene looking like a seven year old who'd just rolled in cotton candy. Reese was watching him in amusement, until her smile began to make her head hurt.

Crews suddenly yelped like he'd been shocked. "What?" Reese reached out to him grabbing his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Brain freeze" he exclaimed slapping his hand to his forehead with the napkin still stuck between his thumb and forefinger. He looked down and noticed she still held him by the arm. "Reese" he spoke her name in a long drawn out question "are you touching me?" he teased.

"I…uh…no!" she said. It was like the sun peaking from behind the clouds as Crews became himself again.

"I think you were…" he began "I think you were worried about me Reese."

"Worried about having to break in another new partner is all" Reese said sternly.

"Still…" Crews continued. "What do you say I admit defeat and we go catch this murder?" he offered.

"Yeah, let's go before the uniforms think we got lost" she replied happy to see Crews acting more like himself. They settled back into the car and headed toward the scene.

"Hey, Reese. Didya ever notice how god is like ice cream?" Crews remarked.

_Jesus, Mary and Joseph_ she thought _here he goes again, _but she was secretly relieved to have the old Crews back.

"God is like ice cream, many flavors, all still god, all still good" Crews pronounced. "The Buddha said all paths lead to the great path, many cross along the way. Do you suppose that's what he meant?"

He was acting more and more like himself, _maybe he just needed a sugar fix_ she thought. "No…stop…we are not doing this, Crews" she said sternly "No god, no Zen, I am not doing this…with you… now."

"But Reese all we have is the now" he smiled his best Zen smile at her.

We have a murder case. Now is not the time for Zen" she turned and glared at him for effect, smiling under her scowl the welcome reappearance of the Charlie she knew.

"Okay, Reese, but shouldn't there always be time for Zen?" he continued.

She glared harder and he did but quietly added. "I'm glad our paths crossed, Reese" leaving her a bit shocked at the admission. As they pulled up outside the residence in Cheviot Hills, he got out of the car too soon to hear Reese admit quietly "me too, Crews, me too".


End file.
